[email protected]
Heather Ann Wilson is the United States Secretary of the Air Force. She is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 1998 to 2009, and the former president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota. She was the first female military veteran elected to a full term in Congress.
While in Congress, Wilson focused on national security issues, serving on the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the United States House Committee on Armed Services. She also focused on health care, energy, manufacturing and trade, and telecommunications, serving on the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce. She opted not to run for re-election to the House in 2008 and sought the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Senator Pete Domenici but finished second in the Republican primary to Congressman Steve Pearce, who then lost the general election to Democrat Tom Udall. On March 7, 2011, she announced another run for Senate in 2012 to replace retiring Senator Jeff Bingaman, but lost the general election to Martin Heinrich, her successor in the House of Representatives.
In April 2013 she was selected to be President of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology by the South Dakota Board of Regents.[5] She was the eighteenth president, and first female president, of SD Mines.[6] On January 23, 2017, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Wilson as Secretary of the Air Force. The US Senate confirmed her nomination on May 8, 2017.
Videos
News
Related Speakers View all
![]() |
Jacinda Ardern
Prime Minister of New Zealand
|
![]() |
Tsai Ing-wen
First Female President of the Republic of China (Tai...
|
![]() |
Michelle Bachelet
President of Chile
|
|
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
President of Croatia
|
![]() |
Brittany Merrill Underwood
Founder & CEO of Akola Project
|
![]() |
Katie Telford
Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Canada
|
![]() |
Federica Mogherini
High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs & ...
|
![]() |
Denise Juneau
Former State Superintendent of Public Instruction fr...
|
![]() |
Megan Clement
Managing Editor of Women & Girls at News Deeply
|
![]() |
Juleanna Glover
Founder at the Office of Juleanna Glover
|
![]() |
Kersti Kaljulaid
President of Estonia
|
![]() |
Nicola Sturgeon
First Minister of Scotland
|
![]() |
Melissa Reiff
Former CEO at The Container Store
|
![]() |
Gen. Lori Robinson
Ret. Commander, United States Northern Command & Nor...
|
![]() |
Dr. Scilla Elworthy
Founder of the Oxford Research Group
|
![]() |
Miuccia Prada
Head Designer of Prada; Founder of Miu Miu
|
![]() |
Malala Yousafzai
Youngest-Ever Nobel Prize Winner; Advocate for Girls...
|
![]() |
Ana Patricia Botín
Executive Chairman of Santander Group
|
![]() |
Abigail Johnson
President & CEO of Fidelity Investments
|
![]() |
Dalia Grybauskaitė
President of Lithuania
|